Nicolas Mori, Violinist
c. 1840
Medium
Pen and brown ink, over graphite, on ivory wove paper, tipped onto cream wove paper
Dimensions
22.7 × 12.5 cm (8 15/16 × 4 15/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
115626
Art Historical Context
This delicate portrait drawing by Alfred Edward Chalon captures the celebrated violinist Nicolas Mori around 1840, a time when London’s concert halls buzzed with Romantic-era virtuosos. Chalon, a Swiss-born British artist renowned for his elegant portraiture, frequently turned his attention to musicians and theatrical figures, preserving their likenesses with a light, expressive touch. The work’s modest scale—just under nine inches tall—suggests it may have served as a personal study or preparatory sketch rather than a formal commission. Executed in pen and brown ink over faint graphite lines...